Fur shaper



Aug. 28, 1951 v. R. WOODRUFF FUR SHAPER Filed Sept. 14, 1948 ATTORNEY m f. 4 Am/ Wm ,MH Mm M WM5 Wm mi W f Y 7. B. y. V

Patented Aug. 28, 1951 U Nl TED STAT ES ENT r0 F F ICE y FUR SHAPER Virgil R.. Woodruff, Spokane, Wash.

Application September 14, 1948, Serial No. 49,160

(Cl. 22S- 61) This invention relates tov a fur shaper and it is one object of the invention to provide a device by useof which marginal portions of a skin may be crimped `and thus form portions which impart a draped effect to a fur coat and cause a better t as well as 'imparting an attractive' appearance to the coat.

Another object of the invention is to prov-ide a clamp which is formed of companion elements so connected-with -each other that a portion of a yiur maybe disposed between these elements of jawsV of `the clamp and pressure then applied which w-illcrim-p the-fur and stretch .it to such an `extent that when the skin has dried and the clamp removed the crimped portion may be spread and protrude from surrounding portions of the fur;

Another object of the invention is to provide a clamp having a base which may be firmly secured upon aboard by nails andthe fur then slid into place between its jaws, one of which carries a blade which is pivoted at one'end and is tiltable upwardly at its other end to stretch the fur'and form a downwardly tapered crimped portion therein.

Another object of the invention is to provide Va clamp which is simple in construction and veri7 easy to operate;

The invention'is illustrated ink the accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is a perspective View of the improved crimping clamp.

Fig. 2 is a sectional View taken longitudinally through the clamp along the line 2--2 of Figure 1.

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional View taken along the line 3-3 of Figure 2.

Fig. 4 is a View showing the manner in which a fur is crimped by use of the improved clamp.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along the line 5-5 of Figure 4.

This improved fur crimping device or clamp has a base l which is formed with an opening at its rear end to receive nails 2 by means of which it is secured upon a work board or table. A tongue 3 extends forwardly from the base and in this tongue is formed a longitudinally extending groove 4 which increases in depth towards its front end and has its forward end portion extending through the tongue to form a slot 5 which divides the front end of the tongue into fins or ngers 6. Standard l which is reinforced by a rib 8 extends upwardly from the base and the upper end of the standard is projected forwardly to form a lip 9 through which an opening Ill is formed. A threaded stem or screw Il having a knurled head or knob I2 at its upper end passes vertically through the opening Il) and its lower end is rotatably mounted i-n a depression or socket i3 formed in the base in front of the standard. Back ofthe socket the tongue is formed with a transversely extending opening and through this opening passes a pin lili which protrudes from opposite sides of the Itongue of jaw 3 and through ears I5 at rear ends of the arms l5 of the jaw I1 and mounts Vthe jaw for swinging movement to raised and lowered positions. The width of the space between the arms l` is such that when the jaw is swung' downwardly to a lowered position the tong-ue 3 will t between the arms I6 in spaced relation thereto. Therefore a skin I8 may have a portion deposited `upon the tongue 3 and the jaw I1 then swung downwardly to a lowered position in which` itv rests Aupon portions of the skin at opposite sides of the tongue, and when nails 1'9 are driven through the openings Eilat-its front end this jaw will'be firmly secured inthe-lowered position and a portion of the skin firmly held across thev tongue. A blade 2| rests i-n the groove d of the tongue and is pivotally mounted at its fron-t end by a pin 22 which passes through the "blade and through front end portionsf of lthe fins or ngers 6. This blade normally restsupon the `bottom of the groove yand has a diagonally extending upper edge 22 so that it gradually increases in height towards its rear end where it terminates in an ear 23 formed with a threaded opening 24 to receive the adjusting stem or screw Il. When the screw is turned in one direction the blade will be swung upwardly and rotation of the screw in an opposite direction will swing the blade downwardly, and since the depression or socket I3 is elongated longitudinally of the tongue the screw may shift longitudinally of the tongue a sufcient distance to prevent binding between the screw and the blade. When the blade is swung upwardly its transversely rounded upper edge applies pressure to the portion of the skin passing across it and the skin will be stretched upwardly. Since the blade has a dull upper edge and the skin is moistened before it is applied to the stretching device the skin may be stretched without being torn. The fact that the blade increases in height towards its rear end and has a diagonally extending upper edge causes the stretched portion of the skin to gradually increase in depth towards the edge of the skin and the stretched portion 26 of the skin will be of triangular outline when the skin is removed and the said stretched. portion spread as shown in Figure 4. It will be understood that after the blade has been swung upwardly to apply stretching force to the skin, the skin will be left in engagement with the stretching device until the stretched portion has dried sufficiently to remain in the stretched condition when removed from the stretching device. In order to remove the stretched skin it is merely necessary to remove the nails I9 and the jaw Il may then be swung upwardly out of clamping engagement with the skin and thus allow the skin to be drawn along the tongue until it is entirely free.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is: v

1. A fur stretcher comprising aA base having a forwardly extending tongue formed along its upper face with a longitudinally extending groove increasing in depth towards its front end and terminating in a slot dividing the front end of the tongue into transversely spaced fingers, a standard extending upwardly from said base back of said tongue and having a forwardly extending lip at its upper end formed with an opening, a threaded stem passing vertically through the opening in said lip and having its lower end loosely engaged in a recess extending longitudinally in said base in front of the standard, a jaw extending longitudinally of said tongue in-straddling relation thereto when in a lowered position and having longitudinally extending arms disposed at opposite vsides of the tongue and pivoted to the base rearwardly of the stern, the front end of the jaw being adapted to be secured to a work table and firmly hold the jaw in clamping engagement with a skin disposed across the tongue, and a blade extending longitudinally of the tongue and normally at rest in the groove thereof, said blade having its front end pivotally mounted in the slot at the front end of the groove and having an ear at its rear end formed with a threaded opening through which the stem engages thereby causing the blade to be swung upwardly in a stretching direction when the stem is turned in one direction. 2. A fur stretcher comprising a base adapted to be secured upon a work table and having a forwardly extending tongue formed with a longitudinally extending groove, a standard rising from said base back of said tongue and having ci. a lip projecting forwardly from its upper end, a threaded stem rotatably and tiltably supported in vertical position by said standard and having its lower end loosely resting upon the tongue and movable forwardly and rearwardly thereof, a jaw extending longitudinally of said tongue and having arms pivoted at their rear ends to the base and mounting the jaw for vertical swinging movement from a raised position to a lowered position in which it straddles the tongue for clamping engagement with a skin disposed across ,i

the tongue, and a blade pivoted to the front endL of the tongue and normally resting in the groove longitudinally therein, said blade having a threaded opening at its rear end through which the stem engages thereby causing the blade to be swung upwardly and stretch the portion of a skin clamped across the tongue by the jaw when the stem is turned in one direction.Y

3. A fur stretcher comprising a tongue formed with a longitudinally extending groove, a clamping jaw extending longitudinally of said tongue and having varms disposed at opposite sides of the tongue and pivotally mounted at rear ends to mount the jaw for swinging movement from a lowered operative position to a raised position and when lowered serving' to rmly clamp a portion of a skin across the tongue, a stretching blade extending longitudinally in the groove and pivoted at its front end to the front end of the tongue. a standard extending upwardly from the front end of said tongue and having a lip projecting forwardly over the rear end of the blade and an adjusting screw rotatably mounted vertically through said lip and threaded through an opening at the rear end of the blade and serving to shift the blade upwardly and stretch the skin when turned in one direction.

VIRGIL R. WOODRUFF.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record :In the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,121,822 Petty June 28, 1938 2,123,199 Petty July 12, 1938 

